Part of War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the War on Terror
A British soldier of 21 (Gibraltar 1779–83) Air Assault Battery, Royal Artillery raising the Union Flag during a transfer of authority ceremony in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province in May 2006
Date
20 June 2002 – 12 December 2014
Location
Afghanistan, Asia
Result
End of Operation Herrick. Start of Operation Toral
Belligerents
United Kingdom
Taliban Al-Qaeda
Commanders and leaders
Tony Blair (Prime Minister 1997–2007) Gordon Brown (Prime Minister 2007–2010) David Cameron (Prime Minister 2010–2016)
Mohammed Omar † Osama bin Laden †
Units involved
Various units of the British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force
Strength
150,000 over duration of operation
Unknown
Casualties and losses
454 killed 1 recon plane crashed
Unknown
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War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
History
Timeline
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Battles and operations
v
t
e
Invasion
Crescent Wind
Rhino
Mazar-i-Sharif
Kunduz
Herat
Kabul
Tarinkot
Trent
Kandahar
Qala-i-Jangi
Shawali Kowt
Sayyd Alma Kalay
Tora Bora
v
t
e
Helmand Province campaign
Lejay
Eagle Fury
Lashkar Gah
Mountain Thrust
1st Sangin
Mountain Fury
Nawzad
Achilles
Musa Qala I
Volcano
Kryptonite
Silver
Pickaxe-Handle
Hammer
Nasrat
Musa Qala II
Garmsir
Eagle's Summit
Red Dagger
Shahi Tandar
Diesel
Mar Lewe
Panther's Claw
Strike of the Sword
Dahaneh
Cobra's Anger
Moshtarak
Tor Shezada
Battle of Sangin
Camp Bastion
January 2017 Lashkargah
Sangin
June 2017 Lashkargah
Camp Shorabak
Grishk
v
t
e
Kandahar Province
2001 Kandahar bombing
Fall of Kandahar
Tarnak Farm
Mongoose
Medusa
Avalanche
Kaika
Panjwaii
Falcon Summit
Hoover
Luger
Kamin
Shah Wali Kot
2008 Kandahar
Spin Boldak
Sarposa
Arghandab
Wech Baghtu
2009 Kandahar
Nadahan
Hamkari
Dragon Strike
Baawar
Battle of Kandahar
Kandahar massacre
2017 Kandahar
2020 Kandahar
v
t
e
Eastern Afghanistan
Hazar Qadam
Anaconda (Takur Ghar)
Warrior Sweep
Jacana
Haven Denial
Mountain Resolve
Tar Heels
Korangal valley (Red Wings)
Jaji border incident
Bagram (2007)
South Korean hostages
Nangar Khel
Aranas
Wanat
Ebrahimkhel
Alasay
Bari Alai
Ganjal
Kamdesh
Narang
Khataba
2010 Badakhshan massacre
Bad Pakh
Bulldog Bite
Barawala Kalay Valley
Do Ab
Asadabad
Bagram (2014)
Jalalabad (2015)
Bagram (2015)
Nangarhar
Jalalabad (2016)
Janikhel
Bagram (2016)
Mohmand Valley
Tora Bora
Jalalabad (January 2018)
Jalalabad (July 2018)
Jalalabad (September 2018)
Charikar
Jalalabad (2019)
Bagram (2019)
May 2020
v
t
e
Kabul Province
2002
2008 Serena Hotel
2008 Indian embassy
Uzbin
2009 raids
NATO HQ
2009 Indian embassy
Bakhtar
January 2010
February 2010
May 2010
2011 Inter-Continental Hotel
September 2011
December 2011
April 2012
June 2013
Palace
January 2014
2014 Serena Hotel
December 2014
Park Palace
Parliament
7 August 2015
10 August 2015
22 August 2015
Spanish Embassy
April 2016
Canadian Embassy
July 2016
American University
September 2016
January 2017
March 2017
May 2017
October 2017 mosque
28 December 2017
2018 Inter-Continental Hotel
Ambulance
March 2018
22 April 2018
30 April 2018
September 2018
2019 mosque
1 July 2019
28 July 2019
7 August 2019
17 August 2019
2 and 5 September 2019
17 September 2019
6 March 2020
Gurdwara
May 2020
June 2020
July 2020
August 2020
September 2020
October 2020
November 2020
University
December 2020
2021 school
Fall of Kabul (2021)
2021 hospital
v
t
e
Kunduz Province
Airlift
Siege
Harekate Yolo
Karez
Oqab
2009 airstrike
Sahda Ehlm
Gala-e Gorg
Halmazag
2015 battle
Hospital airstrike
Hostage crisis
2016 battle
Boz Qandahari
Kunduz madrassa
2020
Major operations
Mountain Viper
Asbury Park
Perth
Chora
Firebase Anaconda
Shewan
Balamorghab
Sabzak
Derapet
Doan
Kunduz (2015)
Omari
Tarinkot
Kunduz (2016)
Boz Qandahari
Darzab (2017)
Farah
Darzab (2018)
Kunar (2019–2020)
Ghazni
2021 Taliban offensive
Zaranj
Kunduz
Herat
Kandahar
Lashkargah
Kabul
Airstrikes
Sayyd Alma Kalay
Uruzgan wedding
Hyderabad
Gora Prai
Haska Meyna/Deh Bala
Azizabad
Wech Baghtu
Granai
Kunduz (2009)
Uruzgan helicopter
Sangin (2010)
Mano Gai
Baraki Barak
Kapisa
Kunar
Kunduz hospital
Sangin (2017)
Nangarhar
Kunduz madrassa
Major insurgent attacks 2002
Kabul
2007
Bagram
S Korean hostage
Baghlan
2008
Kandahar
Spin Boldak
Khost
Kabul Indian embassy
Kabul hotel
2009
Kabul raids
Kabul NATO
Kandahar
Kabul Indian embassy
Kabul UN guesthouse
Camp Chapman
2010
Kabul (Jan)
Kabul (Feb)
Kabul (May)
Nadahan
2011
Logar
Kabul hotel
Nimruz
Zabul
Kabul (Sep)
Kabul & Mazar-e-Sharif
2012
Raids
Camp Bastion
FOB Salerno Attack
2013
Farah
Kabul court
Kabul palace
Jalalabad
Herat
2014
Kabul restaurant
Kabul hotel
Herat Indian consulate
Bagram
1st Paktika
2nd Paktika
Kabul school
2015
Jalalabad
Kabul hotel
Kabul Parliament
Khost
Kabul police
Kabul Airport
Kabul NATO
Ghazni
Kandahar
Kabul Spanish embassy
Bagram
2016
Jalalabad
Kabul NDS
Kunduz-Takhar highway
Kabul Canadian embassy
Wardak
Kabul Hazara protest
Kabul University
Kabul Defense Ministry
Mazar-i-Sharif
Bagram
2017
Bombings (Jan)
Kabul hospital
Camp Shaheen
Kabul (May)
Herat (Jun)
June Lashkargah
Herat (Aug)
Gardez & Ghazni
Kabul & Ghor
Kabul Shi'ite
2018
Kabul hotel
Jalalabad (Save the Children)
Kabul ambulance
Kabul (Mar)
Kabul (22 Apr)
Kabul (30 Apr)
Jalalabad (Jul)
Baghlan
Kabul (Sep)
Jalalabad (Sep)
2019
Maidan Shar
Camp Shorabak
Kabul mosque
Kabul Defense Ministry
Ghazni
Kabul office
Farah
Kabul police
Kabul wedding
Kabul (Sep)
Charikar & Kabul
Qalat
Jalalabad
Haska Meyna
Bagram
2020
Kabul (6 Mar)
Kabul gurdwara
May
June
July
August
Jalalabad
September
October
November
Kabul University
December
2021
Jan-Aug
Kabul school
Spin Boldak
Massacres
Dasht-i-Leili
Shinwar
Nangar
Narang
Maywand
Khataba
Badakhshan
Kandahar
FOB Delhi
Other
U.S. urination incident
Quran burning protests
Insurgents' bodies
U.S.–Afghan agreement
US–Taliban peace deal
U.S. withdrawal
2011–2016
2020–2021
Peace process
2021 Kabul airlift
Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and support to the American-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), within the South Asian country.
Operation Herrick superseded two previous efforts in Afghanistan. The first of these was Operation Veritas, which consisted of support during the United States invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. The last major action of this was a sweep in east Afghanistan by 1,700 Royal Marines during Operation Jacana, which ended in mid-2002. The second was Operation Fingal, which involved leadership and a 2,000 strong contribution for a newly formed ISAF in Kabul after December 2001. Command was subsequently transferred to NATO ally Turkey several months later and the British contingent was scaled back to 300. Since then, all combat operations in Afghanistan have been conducted under Operation Herrick. After 2003, Operation Herrick increased in size and breadth to match ISAF's growing geographical intervention in Afghanistan.
In December 2012 the UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced that 3,800 troops, almost half of the force serving in Helmand Province, would be withdrawn during 2013 with numbers to fall to approximately 5,200.[1][2] The UK ceased all combat operations in Afghanistan and withdrew the last of its combat troops on 27 October 2014.[3][4] Between 2001 and 24 July 2015 a total of 454 British military personnel died on operations in Afghanistan.[5][6]
With the end of combat operations, British military operations in Afghanistan focused on training as part of Operation Toral, the UK's contribution to the NATO Resolute Support Mission. This operation ended in July 2021.
^"UK to withdraw 3,800 troops from Afghanistan during 2013". BBC. 19 December 2012. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
^"Afghanistan mission accomplished, says David Cameron". BBC. 16 December 2013. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
^"Last British troops leave Helmand". BBC News. 27 October 2014. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
^"UK ends combat operations in Helmand". Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
^Cite error: The named reference Cas was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"British soldier dies three years after Afghanistan shooting". BBC News. 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
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is the OperationHerrick ground order of battle, which lists any British ground forces that have taken part in the duration of OperationHerrick between...
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Qala, then east of Girishk during OperationHerrick 8 in April 2008. A, B and C Squadrons deployed on OperationHerrick 11 in 2009, A and B Squadron with...
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Freedom: Non-Article 5 ISAF NATO Medal OperationHerrick Coalition casualties in Afghanistan "Afghanistan, ISAF Operations led by NATO". Archived from the original...
the Taliban due to their role in assisting British forces during OperationHerrick (2002–2014). Around 2,200 evacuees were children, with the youngest...
Parachute Regiment. In his three years in the platoon, he took part in OperationHerrick 8 and was deployed to exercises overseas on three occasions. He was...
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